Latest News

World Patient Safety Day - September 17th 2019

September 17th 2019 is world patient safety day. We will be promoting this to patients that visit any of our surgeries on this day. No one should be harmed when accessing healthcare and we are passionate advocates of patient safety. For more information about patient safety day please click here to access the World Health Organisation's website.

Measles cases surge in Europe as three more countries join the UK in no longer being infection free

Sky News reports that cases of Measles have surged to 90,000 in the first half of the year compared to the 84,462 seen in the whole of last year (2018).  To read the full article please click here. 

Measles is a highly infectious viral illness that can lead to serious health complications, including infections of the lungs and brain.

Portsdown Group Practice can provide a free Measles, Mumps & Rubella (MMR) vaccination to eligible patients. Please contact us to find out if you are eligible. For more information about the MMR vaccination, please click here.

Appointment Booking via Telephone

Good news! We are making it easier for you to book routine appointments via the telephone. As of week commencing 26th August, the routine appointment line (option 2) will open at 10:00am NOT 8:00am. This will allow us to have more staff available to take your call. Please remember, you can also book appointments via our online booking service, please speak to our reception team for more information.

Flu Season is coming

Flu season is set to start in September and October. If you are aged 65 or over, Pregnant or have one of the following long term conditions you are eligible for a free flu jab:

- Diabetes

- Coronary Heart Disease

- COPD

- Asthma (and taking a steroid inhaler)

- Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD)

- Chronic Liver Disease

- Immuno Suppressed, Asplenia (no spleen) or dysfunction of the spleen

- History of having a Stroke

- Obesity

Flu vaccinations for patients aged 65 and over will be available from early September.

Flu vaccinations for 'at-risk' patients will be available from early October - this is to ensure we have the latest, most effective vaccine for all eligible patients, which offers the highest possible protection against the flu virus.

Once we have received delivery of the flu vaccinations we will be inviting patients to pop in to the surgery at any time to receive their jab.

Veteran Friendly Update

We are a veteran friendly practice. This means we offer support to military veterans in a variety of ways. The NHS have just published a patient information leaflet for veterans covering the various forms of support that are available. Please visits our veterans page to view the leaflet here.

Going on holiday? Make sure you've had your MMR vaccination.

Public Health England are urging all patients that are going on holiday to check their MMR immunisations are up-to-date . This is in response to the recent measles outbreak across Europe. Measles is a highly contagious viral illness which can lead to severe complications if you are not immunised.

Please click here to view the full article.

Please contact us to find out if you require an MMR vaccination. Patients that are eligible can pop in to the surgery at any time during opening hours to receive their vaccination.

Talking Change

Talking Change is a Portsmouth based mental health service. They offer help and support to patients with a range of mental health concerns. They have recently updated their website which can be visited at the following address: www.talkingchange.nhs.uk

Here is some additional information from the talking change team:

"We are a team of psychotherapists and researchers who specialise in the understanding and treatment of common emotional difficulties.

If you've been struggling with low mood or anxiety, or with a physical condition such as chronic pain or fatigue, our talking therapies can help you cope and feel better. We also provide support at work, and help towards finding employment or training.

We offer a free and confidential service, and we can see you in medical practices all over Portsmouth. You can access Talking Change if you’re aged sixteen or over, you live in Portsmouth, and you’re registered with a doctor in the city.

You can self-refer by calling 0300 123 3934 or by visiting www.talkingchange.nhs.uk"

Measles: 'My baby's eyes were swollen shut'

The BBC have posted a news article about how a mothers baby was affected by contracting measles. Please click here to visit the BBC news page to read the article.

Self Help

We've updated our self help section with more information about the Portsmouth Pharmacy First scheme.

We've also added a link to a really useful website called 'Healthier Together'. This website offers information and guidance for parents, carers, guardians and young people, for a whole host of conditions and ailments.

To access our Self Help page, please click here.

Cervical Screening Saves Lives

Don't ignore your cervical screening invite. If you've missed your last cervical screening, book an appointment with us now.

To book, please call us on 02392 009191. More information about cervical screening can be found on our dedicated page here. 

NHS Health Checks - Have you had yours?

We invite patients to attend their free NHS Health Check on a monthly basis. The NHS Health Check looks at your general health and can help with early identification of long term conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, high cholesterol or prostate cancer.

If you receive an invitation from us, we strongly recommend that you contact us to book your check. Currently, NHS Health checks are an invite-only appointment. For more invitation , please click here.

Gluten Free Prescribing

Due to new NHS England guidelines. The types of gluten free items we can prescribed has changed. Please click here for more information.

Learning Disability Friendly Award

Portsdown Group Practice has become an accredited Learning Disability (LD) Friendly Practice, one of only a handful of GP Practices in the City to gain this accolade.
This accreditation recognises Portsdown Group Practices’ awareness of the needs of people with a learning disability, and its ability to adjust the care and services accordingly.
One of the main criteria is ensuring that people with a learning disability are offered an annual health check because this cohort of patients often experience poorer health, have more complex health needs, are less aware of illness and require additional support to maintain good health. Portsdown Group Practice has achieved higher than the National average for completion of annual health checks for this cohort of patients. As a Practice we also have a dedicated Learning Disability Lead Nurse who ensures that patients with a learning disability are offered appropriate appointments, annual health checks, health action plans and enough time to process the information provided in the most appropriate form of communication for the individual patient, adapted to meet their specific needs.
Julie Chapman, Clinical Leader Health Facilitation, Integrated Learning Disability Service, Portsmouth said
“I am delighted that Portsdown Group Practice has achieved the Learning Disability Friendly Practice status. Part of this work involved undertaking annual health checks for people with a learning disability. Portsdown Group achieved 82% of these checks in the year 2017-2018. The national target is 75% by 2019-2020. Thank you to all the staff for providing these reasonable adjustments and enhancing the service provided for this patient group”.

Keep Antibiotics Working

People are being urged not to ask their doctor for antibiotics as part of a new campaign aimed at tackling growing resistance to the drugs.

An estimated 5,000 people die every year in England because antibiotics no longer work for some infections, according to Public Health England (PHE), which has launched the Keep Antibiotics Working campaign.

Helping to protect your child against meningococcal disease

The meningococcal ACWY (MenACWY) vaccine is replacing the routine Meningococcal C (MenC) vaccine. MenACWY vaccination helps to protect your child against four types of meningococcal bacteria (groups A, C, W and Y) that can cause meningitis (inflammation of the lining of the brain) and septicaemia (blood poisoning). These diseases are very serious and can kill, especially if not diagnosed early.

Cases of meningococcal W disease ("MenW") in England have increased significantly in recent years, and it is in response to this rise in cases that this vaccine is being introduced. If children have not already received the School Leavers Booster vaccination this may be offered at the same time.

Measles Cases Reach Record High

Measles cases have reached a record high according to a recent World Health Organisation (WHO) report. More than 41,000 people have been infected in the first six months of 2018, leading to 37 deaths. A recent outbreak in Chichester has also occurred. We strongly advise our patients to check that they are fully vaccinated against measles by contacting the practice. For more information about the recent outbreak please click here.

Electronic Repeat Dispensing (eRD) - It could save you time!

If you are on regular repeat prescriptions you may benefit from signing up for Electronic Repeat Dispensing (eRD). This service automatically sends your repeat prescriptions to your pharmacy without the need for you to request them each time. For more information please click here to watch a short video. To find out if you are eligible for electronic repeat dispensing (eRD) please contact us.

Asthma - Inhaler techniques

We've updated our patient information page with links to videos and information about inhaler techniques. This is a valuable resource for all asthmatics. Please click here to access it.

Cervical Screening

Cervical screening is really important. It saves lives. We've updated our page about cervical screening. Please click here for more information

GDPR - We've updated our privacy notices and GDPR Policy

The law is changing on 25th May 2018. To reflect this, we have updated our privacy notices and GDPR policy. For more information, please click here

MJog Messenger via Smartphones

MJog Messenger – smarter healthcare communications

• Healthcare providers using MJog can send secure healthcare related messages to the MJog Messenger app installed on your smart phone. It is recommended to only install MJog Messenger when directed to do so by your practice.

  Why you should install MJog Messenger

• It is free and makes responding to messages extremely quick and easy
• Get your health information direct (including results and reviews)
• Instant notifications let you know when a new message is received
• Saves you time and saves your practice money
• Messages are sent securely and you can PIN protect access to MJog Messenger once installed, there is a simple registration process to complete. Don’t worry we have put together a step-by-step guide showing every simple step!
• Need help? click here

Health Promotions

Monies raised since April 2017 – November 2018 - £3661.96
Monies raised November 2017 – November 2018 - £2615.05

Friends of Portsdown Group Practice

Total monies raised - £87,070.19
Total spent on medical equipment - £75,647.75

To find out more about The Friends of Portsdown Group and the medical equipment they have purchased for the practice please click on the link Here 

Training for Admin Staff

Portsdown Group Practice is dedicated to developing their staff and recognising when staff members have achieved excellence.
Each year in November, Portsdown Group Practice holds an award ceremony to celebrate their learning achievements.
Portsdown Group Practice uses an online learning platform “Bluestream Academy” for their mandatory and non-mandatory training. This system can record all training completed both internally and externally.
2,579 modules were completed in 2018 between their 120 staff. This ensures that all staff are appropriately qualified with the right skills and competencies for their role.
In 2018 57 awards were presented to staff. 47 staff members received their Bronze award, 8 received their Silver award and 2 staff members received their Gold award. To achieve Bronze staff must have completed 20 modules of learning, to achieve Silver they must have completed 30 modules, and to receive the coveted Gold award, staff must have competed 50 modules of learning. This year our Gold award recipients are Christina Cleworth and Mark Stubbings.
Well done to all staff who received recognition for their learning achievements.